TAS:Liberals win majority government in Tassie

Tasmanian Liberal Party leader Will Hodgman secured a crushing victory in Saturday’s election, returning the Liberals to government in the state for the first time in 16 years.
Photo: Peter Mathew

The Tasmanian Liberal Party is set for a crushing election victory and a return to office in the island state for the first time in 16 years.

Will Hodgman has led the party to victory at his second attempt and will become the first Liberal premier of the state since Tony Rundle.

Polls had predicted a bloodbath for Labor, who shared power with the Greens for the past four years, and experts were calling the result with barely 10 per cent of the vote counted.

Labor was hard hit in the north and the Greens had also lost electoral support.

Under Tasmania's unique Hare-Clark electoral system, where five members are elected in each seat, the Liberals needed to pick up three for a majority in the 25-seat lower house. They looked set to win 14, while Labor had won five, the Greens two with four still in doubt.

But in the popular vote it was a landslide, the Liberals claiming at least 53 per cent, a swing of 14, and Mr Hodgman the highest personal tally of any candidate.

The 44-year-old father of three young children comes from a long line of Hodgmans involved in Tasmanian politics, but will be the family's first premier.

Also in Mr Hodgman's electorate of Franklin, Labor premier
Lara Giddings
looked likely to hold her seat but leadership hopeful David O'Byrne was under threat.

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Polls taken in the final weeks of the campaign had the Liberals flying, with a Newspoll putting the party at 53 per cent to the ALP's 23 and the Greens' 16.

The Liberals have promised boosts to health and education as well as the axing of 500 public service positions and budget savings of $500 million. But they confront unemployment of 7.3 per cent, the nation's highest, and a budget blowout of $450 million over the forwards estimates.

Earlier, Ms Giddings appeared resigned to a loss.

"Of course it's going to be a difficult day, a tough day for Labor, but one where we won't give up until the very last," she told reporters as she voted in Hobart.

The ALP reportedly mounted a last-ditch campaign blitz with early morning text messages on Saturday morning.